Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1887-09-10
BUFFERS BR1BE.
The Congressman from the First Dis
trict Charged with Selling Out
to the Ants for $4,000.

LIE journal, the leaulnS
Republican paper of Tennessee,
charges Hon. r. r. Butler, Congress
man from the first district, with SELL
ing out to the whisky ring, and gives
the following details of the deal:
About the first of July, while chan
Gerry court was in session at Bristol,
which Judge Butler was attending, he
was visited there by George S. Kin
ney president of the Tennessee Liquor
Dealers Association, and Mr.. Charles
Nelson, one of the largest and wealth.
lest liquor dealers in the state, both
of Nashville. The meeting had evil
IDENTIFY been pre-arranged, as Judge
Butler resides at Mountain City and
not Bristol. He was in consultation
with them at the Hamilton House,in
Bristol, for several hours. When a
friend inquired of him who they
were, he explained that they were
Nashville capitalists, interested in
some railroad charter, and that they
were taking legal counsel from him
in reference to the said charter.
While there we are informed, andbe-
lieve, and so charge, they closed a
contract with Butler, he agreeing to
oppose the prohibition amendment in
consideration of which they were to
pay him five thousand dollars-one
thousand cash, one thousand later on,
and the additional three thousand
dollars when he carried his district
against the amendment.
They returned to Nashville soon af-
ter. Toward the latter part of July,
the National Review, published at
Nashville, in giving the then status
of the prohibition campaign, men,
toned as a fact that Judge Butler was
opposed to the prohibition amend
ment. Some of the first district pa
pers denied it, and the Bristol News,
stated uponthe authority of the judge
himself, that he was heartily in favor
of the amendment. This was three
weeks after he had sold out, and he
had already begun to earn his bride,
by circulating the address of Mr..
George S. Kinney, five hundred
copies of which were sent to him by
mail while attending the circuit court
in Unicoi county.
After the appearance of the editorl-
al in the National Review and the
denial in the Bristol News and other
papers in the first district, the gentle
men who had bribed Butler to oppose
the amendment and had already paid
him a portion of the stipulated price,
became doubtful perhaps and afraid
that he was not going to face the mu.
sic and carry out his part of the con.
tract so they visited him again al
Bristol, this time accompanied by
VIM. Greene, a Hawkins county dis.
tiller. The object of this visit was t.
get Butler to make a speech. He wa
sick at the time and said that he wa
not able to make a speech, but agreed
that he would write a letter. AS sOor
as he was able to travel he went Il
Morristown, where he again met Mr.
Greene. From there on Friday tn,
10Th day of August hesent a telegram
to the managers Of the anti-prohibi
ton campaign at Nashville, or one O
them, which was in substance as fol
lows "HaS the New York eXchang,
been sent? If not, send in care O
Hattie House, Knoxville" Tn
New York exchange was not sent, tn
purchasers no doubt deciding tina
they would triie no longer with thei
chattel; so they sent him a persona
check payable to order instead, whic.
he could not cash without his person
al autograph, and which they woul
have returned to them to be held a
evidence of the payment of the pul
chase money. This check was prof.
ably a part or the whole of the secon
payment in the transaction.
Butler was in Knoxville on til
10Th, doubtless waiting for his checl
He left the next morning and went
Nashville. While there he wrote til
letter, purporting to have been wri
ten from Morristown. 1t was NJ
written at Morristown, but at Nasl
vile, as he very well knows. III
letter was published in the Nations
Review last Saturday, and a lars
number of the copies of that pap
have been sent into the First distri
to aid Judge Butler in performir
his contract to turn over his congre
sional district to the anti-prohibitio
lists at the September election. The
are about the facts. Judge Butt
hoe not D,NIu npoonta1 N b,;1o 90,